The invention relates to the field of equipment for motor vehicles.
In particular, the invention relates to a unit of equipment for a motor vehicle comprising:
a first part of an electrical connector mounted on a first piece of equipment, the first piece of equipment comprising a first guiding and positioning member allowing the relative guiding and positioning of the first part of an electrical connector on the first piece of equipment,
a second part of an electrical connector, the complement of the first part of an electrical connector, mounted on a second piece of equipment, the second piece of equipment comprising a second guiding and positioning member allowing the relative guiding and positioning of the second part of an electrical connector on the second piece of equipment,
the said second piece of equipment being mounted on the said first piece of equipment, the first and second parts of the electrical connector being connected one to the other, and each piece of equipment comprising complementary guiding and positioning means allowing the relative guiding and positioning of the said pieces of equipment with each other, and the connection of the said parts of an electrical connector with each other.
The assembly of equipment comprising electrical connections on other equipment already attached or prepositioned on the vehicle poses considerable problems in handling and requires operations which are difficult to automate. For example, the assembly of an instrument panel, which comprises electrically powered displays, onto the dashboard, the latter already being in place inside the vehicle, is generally carried out as follows: the operator approaches, from the inside of the vehicle, the instrument panel which comprises on its rear face an electrical connector casing, takes hold of the equivalent connector cabled through the inside of the cavity of the dashboard provided to receive the instrument panel; he must then assemble the connectors while keeping the instrument panel close to the receiving cavity where, inside the latter, the length of cable is provided with a short overlength with respect to the assembled position of the instrument panel in the dashboard.
This handling is not only complex, but is not compatible with implementing an automated assembly method, and consequently constitutes a considerable obstacle to achieving increases in productivity.
A main aim of the invention is to make the assembly operations of the type described above less tiresome and more simple for an operator, and even to automate the operation.
To this end, according to the invention, the unit of equipment inside the motor vehicle is characterized in that the complementary guiding and positioning means comprise the first and second members for guiding and positioning the first and second electrical connector parts respectively on the first and second pieces of equipment.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the guiding and positioning members are complementary rails lying in a substantially straight manner in the mating direction of the connector parts;
one of the connector parts is secured to a printed circuit board;
the said board is a visible piece, which can be seen from the inside of the vehicle when the unit is mounted on the vehicle; and
at least one of the connector parts is a casing in which contacts are housed.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the two connector parts are casings which are the complement of each other, in each of which are housed respective contacts, the complement of those housed in the equivalent connector casing.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, one of the connector parts is a casing in which pressure-type contacts are housed, whereas the other of the connector parts comprises a printed circuit board with conducting surfaces, the said boards receiving the said pressure-type contacts bearing thereon.
According to this embodiment, advantageously, a form of guiding and positioning, the complement of the associated guiding and positioning member is directly formed on the board so that the connector part corresponding to the printed circuit board cooperates with the said guiding and positioning member.
The invention, as will be illustrated below, is most particularly applicable to attaching electrical equipment to a dashboard, a door panel, a central console, a seat or even a roof.
This electrical equipment may constitute, as has already been mentioned, an instrument panel, but also a car radio, a control console or a display.